


wake-ari bukken

by catsdoppelganger



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Death, Haunted Arc, Haunted Houses, M/M, Spirits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:00:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29407311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catsdoppelganger/pseuds/catsdoppelganger
Summary: wake-ari bukken are properties which are rented out at a cheaper rate due to the previous tenant’s death/////Will include more character and addition tags as the story progresses :)
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Kudos: 1





	wake-ari bukken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! I recently watched a short documentary about wake-ari bukken, also known as stigmatised property, and decided to write a KuroKen fic about it. My brain is KuroKen rot. You can watch the documentary here if you guys are interested!
> 
> (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd_m2RevjPA)
> 
> To summarise, wake-ari bukken are properties which are rented out at a cheaper rate due to the previous tenant’s death. As Japan is quite superstitious, many would avoid renting those properties as it is considered “bad luck”. However, there are some people who would rent such places as they are either short on cash, or just paranormal fanatics.
> 
> The apartment I’m describing in this fic is similar to the first apartment shown in the video, such as the sweet roof access. (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

“So what do you think? This one has a great view with access to the roof. You can dry your clothes out here, have a beer, smoke a cig, and no one will complain at all! Roof’s all yours since this is the only apartment with direct access from the room. And it’ll only cost you ¥50,000 a month (~USD475)!”

“How did the previous tenant pass again?” Kuroo looked around the apartment as he directly asked the estate agent. No point beating around the bush if you plan to live in a wake-ari bukken. The place was nice, Kuroo had to admit. The kitchen had a big enough stove top to put three dishes on it. Kuroo hated those apartments which only had one stove burner. He had to move the pan away to cook another dish and by the time the second dish was done, the first one had gone cold and he had to heat it up again or microwave it. Having at least two stove burners made more sense. Instead of being in the bedroom, the sole toilet was near the bedroom, which he liked. At least when he had guests over, they wouldn’t need to pass through his bedroom, and privacy, to use the toilet. Not to mention the roof access.

The agent shook his head in pity. “Ah, it was quite a sad death really. Guy was around your age, I think. Living alone. Came back to burglars and pummelled to death cause he resisted giving them his last savings.”

“So it was an unwanted death. Shouldn’t the rent be cheaper then? Unwarranted deaths usually bring about more vengeful spirits right?”

“You sneaky boy. Fine fine. If you can sign the papers by this week, I’ll give it to you for ¥40,000 a month (~USD381).” The agent grinned at him.

_Disgusting,_ Kuroo thought. Profiting off someone’s death like that. But he had no choice. This apartment was cheap and was minutes away from the train station. It was a good catch. It would be stupid to let this deal go, haunted or not.

“I can sign it today.”

“Great great! Let’s go back to the office and we’ll get that nice signature of yours.” The agent patted him on the back as they walked out of the apartment.

Kuroo wasn’t on the superstitious side but he also didn’t want to disrespect anything. His mother taught him that everything had spirits in them, such as the trees outside, or the table in his living room. He was taught to give everyone and everything its respect and this behaviour led him to get the job he always wanted, although it was far away from home.  


But he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel a pair of eyes piercing into his back as he left his new apartment.

/////

“I’ll be fine Bokuto. I don’t need you to drive all the way here just to help me move in. It’s a small apartment, I can do it by myself. What do you take me for huh!” Kuroo had his phone pressed against his ear with his right shoulder as he took in the boxes from the front door into the house. He had already cleaned the place up, it was surprisingly easy, considering the place was relatively clean to begin with, and had begun to move his things in. “Yes, yes, you and Akaashi can come and hang out once I have everything settled down. There’s only one toilet though, and owner has priority.” Kuroo heard Bokuto squabbling on the other side of the line as he took in the last box. “Hey, I’ll chat with you again. I gotta unbox all this stuff now. Tell Akaashi I said hey!” With a few more exchanges, Kuroo hung up and started to take out the items from the boxes. He felt the same pair of eyes glaring at the back of his neck but brushed the feeling off by turning on an upbeat playlist on his phone.

_If you pretend it’s not there, they will leave you alone._ He kept repeating it to himself as he hummed to the beat of the song playing.

/////

It took three days to get everything unpacked and placed in its proper locations and Kuroo never felt more pleased with himself. He got some new non-stick pots hanging in the kitchen that he can’t wait to use, and a new toilet seat that had heating for the winter since the old one was made of simple plastic that had worn off and turned yellow due to its age.  
He popped open a beer bottle to celebrate and headed to the roof, sliding the window from the living room open and crouching through. He placed some weather-resistant lounge chairs outside and hung up some fairy lights that were given to him by his sister as a farewell gift. _To always light up your way._

_So sentimental,_ Kuroo smiled fondly as he looked up at the multi-coloured fairy lights hanging above him while he relaxed in one of the chairs. It was pretty but it somehow gave Kuroo a feeling of loneliness. This felt like one of those setups where couples would cuddle under the lights and talk about how much they love each other.

_Would it really be called loneliness if I constantly felt a presence in the house?_ A thought flashed by Kuroo’s mind but he quickly dismissed it. _If you pretend it’s not there, they will leave you alone._ He repeated to himself again. It was irrefutable that there was a presence in the house during the past three days. He would shoot up from his sleep in the middle of the night, feeling that someone was staring at him from the foot of his futon.

But other than that, it hadn’t bothered him. Although he felt that it was angry for invading it’s home. Maybe he should get something, he thought with a swig of his beer. He remembered his mother offering gifts of fruits and snacks to the trees near his family home before they were being uprooted to expand their house. His mother explained to him that this was to apologise to the spirits living in that area when he shot her a confused look.

He decided to get something on the way home after his first day of work. He was honestly tired to the bone, the company gave him so many tasks on the first day, backlog from the time he took to find this place and settle down. But he didn’t complain, he was working with the company he had always dreamt of, a pharmaceutical research company that had branches not only in Japan, but also in other countries. It was a big name and even though Kuroo was just a fresh graduate, they offered him a job based on his excellent grades and well-mannered personality. He was currently at the bottom of the corporate ladder and would be willing to take up more tasks if it meant climbing up fast. His current pay was also quite low, it was below average to be honest, which was why he is currently in the middle of a gift shop near his place, looking for a gift for a spirit that may or may not reside with him in said place as he was too poor to afford a proper, unhaunted home.

He finally decided on one of the cheaper gift baskets that consisted of simple fruits and some party snacks packed beautifully in a red basket. Holding the basket in one hand and his work case in another, he made his way home.

He placed the basket on the kotatsu table as he went to take a shower. He needed to feel fresh and fed if he was going to do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll limit each chapter to less than 1,500 words as I don't want you guys to strain your eyes reading everything in one shot. (Like I do)
> 
> REMEMBER TO REST YOUR EYES AND DRINK WATER AFTER EACH CHAPTER OR I'LL SWAT YOU (`皿´＃)


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